Three arrested in N.W. Side kidnapping

Three men are behind bars this morning, accused of abducting an acquaintance Sunday night and forcing him to withdraw money from ATMs and then take out a payday loan the next morning.

An arrest warrant affidavit says the victim, 41, told police he went to an apartment in the 300 block of Cheryl Drive — near Bandera Road and Woodlawn Avenue — on Sunday evening to pick up his vehicle after lending it to his niece.

The men drank beer until the victim's niece arrived and returned the keys. He later went to a Jack in the Box restaurant with Martinez, Castillo and Rodriguez.

When he returned to the apartment and prepared to leave, the three hit him in the face and body and took his keys, forcing him into his own vehicle, the affidavit says.

They took his wallet and forced him to give them his ATM PIN before driving him to several ATMs and taking out an undetermined amount of cash between 11 p.m. and 3 a.m., the affidavit says.

He said he was brought back to the apartment, where he was forced to stay until about 8 a.m. when Martinez and Castillo took him to a payday loan establishment and forced him to get more money.

They eventually released him, and he walked to a hospital for treatment, the affidavit says. The victim said he was initially reluctant to pursue charges, but a family member persuaded him to call police Tuesday.

Police visited the apartment on Cheryl Drive, and the victim's vehicle was outside. Officers detained Martinez and Rodriguez as they approached the vehicle, and they eventually admitted to the kidnapping, the affidavit says. They also identified Castillo as the third suspect.

The man's niece also was detained, but she denied any wrongdoing and said she begged the men to stop assaulting her uncle. She wasn't charged.

The three men were arrested on Tuesday and charged with aggravated kidnapping, a first-degree felony. Bail was set at $100,000 each on that charge.

In an unrelated case, Martinez also was charged with public lewdness, a Class A misdemeanor. Bail for that charge was set at $3,200.